Face masks are well known and have been used extensively in the medical field where airborne infectious materials can be encountered. The masks are also widely used in industries such as construction, road building, and manufacturing where inhalation of dust particles are to be prevented. Commercial painters as well routinely use protective masks to reduce breathing of harmful volatiles. Importantly, emergency and disaster relief workers who must wear masks require long-term comfortable protection from airborne particulates.
The commonly worn masks in the medical field are pleated rectangles of fibrous filtration material shaped to cover the nose/mouth area and held to the ears with loops of elastic. The commonly worn mask in the construction and painting trades is a shaped covering made of fibrous filtration material having a semi-rigid perimeter which approximates a typical facial contour. The existing masks are somewhat effective for their stated purpose. However, they are cumbersome and uncomfortable during use, allow a substantial amount of unfiltered air leakage, exert a painful force on the tip of the nose, interfere with safety glasses, and require a special effort to retrieve and put in position. When the mask wearing interval ends, the mask is either uncomfortably worn around the neck or discarded—a significant drawback when long-term use is crucial.
The need for a comfortable and effective protective mask remains. In recent years, the need has expanded to include the general population. Travelers on buses, subways, and especially airplanes are forced to breath air that may carry contaminates harmful to one's health. Even office workers, tourists, and other individuals located in terrorist-prone areas have a need for a protective mask that can be worn which will filter out deadly airborne materials. Further, winter sports enthusiasts such as skiers and snowmobilers would benefit from the air warming capability of an air mask that can be comfortably worn.
For any mask to be fully effective in filtering out harmful and maybe even deadly contaminates, it must not allow unfiltered air leakage to reach the nose and mouth. A better filtering medium is not the answer. Many masks are designed to approximately fit a broad spectrum of face shapes. They are only partially effective. Some unfiltered air normally seeps in through gaps between the mask's perimeter and the face.
In accord with a need, a protective mask is designed to be continually and comfortably worn so as to be readily positioned when the need arises. A frame for the protective mask is adjustable at major bending points to ensure the mask conforms to the face. This results in a broader filtering area and less unfiltered air leakage.